The most famous study of racial stereotyping was published by Katz and Braly in when they reported the results of a questionnaire completed by students at Princeton University in the USA.
They found that students held clear, negative stereotypes — few students expressed any difficulty in responding to the questionnaire. Most students at that time would have been white Americans and the pictures of other ethnic groups included Jews as shrewd and mercenary, Japanese as shrewd and sly, Negroes as lazy and happy-go-lucky and Americans as industrious and intelligent.
Not surprisingly, racial stereotypes always seem to favor the race of the holder and belittle other races. It is probably true to say that every ethnic group has racial stereotypes of other groups. There is no evidence for this view, however, and many writers argue that it is merely a way of justifying racist attitudes and behaviors.
Aim : To investigate the stereotypical attitudes of Americans towards different races. Method : Questionnaire method was used to investigate stereotypes. American university students were given a list of nationalities and ethnic groups e. Irish, Germans etc. They were asked to pick out five or six traits which they thought were typical of each group. Results : There was considerable agreement in the traits selected. White Americans, for example, were seen as industrious, progressive and ambitious.
African Americans were seen as lazy, ignorant and musical. Participants were quite ready to rate ethnic groups with whom they had no personal contact. Conclusion : Ethnic stereotypes are widespread, and shared by members of a particular social group.
The Katz and Braly studies were done in the s and it can be argued that cultures have changed since then and we are much less likely to hold these stereotypes. Later studies conducted in and found changes in the stereotypes and the extent to which they are held. In general, stereotypes in the later study tended to be more positive but the belief that particular ethnic groups held particular characteristics still existed. Also, it should be noted that this study has relied entirely on verbal reports and is therefore extremely low in ecological validity.
The female manager with a prickly personality. The young Black guy who seems to glare at you in the parking lot. The older White man who is especially clueless about people who are different from him. The cognitive mechanism is complex Ernst, Kuhlmann, and Vogel, , but the bottom line is that a distinctive person doing a distinctive thing captures our attention and influences our subsequent thinking.
There is a tendency for those of us in Western cultures to over-estimate the extent to which people do what they want to do, and to under-estimate the extent to which people do things that are prescribed by their social roles. Therefore, when we see people in a particular role, we tend to assume that they are well-suited for it and, by extension, not so well suited for other roles.
For example, women are more likely to have responsibilities for rearing children, so on average they spend more time than men nurturing others. Seeing that, we come to believe that women are naturally nurturing, downplaying the extent to which they may simply be carrying out the responsibilities of their roles.
Reverse the sex roles, and the impressions we have of the sexes change, too Eagley and Steffen, Race, like gender, determines many of the roles people hold in this country. People of color are over-represented in low-paying jobs, and therefore can seem to White people to be somehow destined for them. To the extent, then, that we are more likely to see members of particular groups in some roles, and less likely to see them in other roles, we develop stereotypes as a result.
Stereotypes can shift as roles shift, sometimes in surprising ways. In hindsight, of course, it is easy to understand the sociological factors that prevented Black students from playing for the best teams, or kept the best Black teams from playing for championships. At the time, however, it seemed to Schneider and his friends like a logical deduction from their unbiased observations about the world of Hoosier sports. Now people watch NBA games and come away with the equally ludicrous conclusion that all Black people are innately hyper-athletic.
What we believe depends, in part, on what we see—but what we see is a function of social roles and arrangements that are created by a complex set of historical, political, and economic factors. The Bottom Line: Stereotypes are pervasive, and powerful, in part because they affect how we see the world even when our subjective experience leads us to believe we are simply describing the world as it actually exists.
We rarely believe ourselves to be influenced by stereotype, making us even more susceptible to their effects. This is the main reason why racism existed.
Through the perception of one group believing they are superior to another group out of fear, jealousy, or ignorance. It all starts with generalization stereotypes and prejudice. Individuals have the instinctive desire to label their peers to make themselves feel more superior or safe whether or not it is intentional; this is when stereotypes and misconceptions come into play. Society has grouped certain people with similar characteristics to simplify communities or social hierarchies. Stereotypes allow people to connect with a person identified with a specific category, but this can progress to a misconception.
Misconceptions are created from stereotypes, but they are based on opinions and false assumptions; they require gossip. Many groups of individuals have been distorted from rumors and mere talk; it is critical to shed light on the truth of these misunderstandings. Many people do not realize the damage one can do when they stereotype a person. If a person is not comfortable with their biological gender, stereotyping can cause feelings of shame.
People should not feel ashamed of their gender simply because of what others have to say. Another way that social stratification affects society is how people internalize their labels.
An example of this is how people in different social classes are treated differently so they then act how they think they should act, or the follow the stereo type they think they fit.
This could be a hindrance on society if a person thinks they should be acting how lower class people are supposed to act, and then they are seen as lower class, but if someone from a lower social class acted how they think a higher social class might act, they might be seen as a more respectable person….
But what is the effect of these stereotypes? Surprisingly, our profound use of stereotypes has both negative effects on the believer of these stereotypes and the ones that they are against. For the person who believes these generalizations, it can create a false sense of expectations and can even distort the way that they treat these other people who fit their stereotype.
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